CBC lines up “Interrupters” North American debut

January 17, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

Steve James’ acclaimed documentary The Interrupters is to have its North American television debut in Canada, on the CBC News Network’s ‘The Passionate Eye’ strand later this month.

Airing at 9:30 p.m. EST on January 28, The Interrupters is James and Alex Kotlowitz’s look at “violence interrupters” in Chicago -  former gang members who are trying to protect their neighborhoods from violence. The doc will premiere in the U.S. on PBS on February 14.

The film sees Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams (pictured above) and Eddie Bocanegra take to the streets in Chicago to intervene in conflicts before they erupt into violence, in the process creating a model that has been studied in cities around North America, including Toronto, according to the CBC.

The Interrupters recently won top prizes for non-fiction filmmaking at the Cinema Eye Honors, and has been nominated for best documentary by the Directors Guild of America.

‘Passionate Eye’ will also present the world television premiere of Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle at 10 p.m. EST on January 22. The Robbie Gemmel and John Kirby-directed documentary looks at a potential clean energy project in the U.S.; a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that has caused controversy.

On one side is the developer who wants to build the wind farm, and on the other is the Kennedy clan and their wealthy neighbors, who are opposed to the project. The doc features interviews with the late senator Ted Kennedy, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, fossil-fuel magnate Robert Koch, and a host of citizens and spin doctors.

Tags: Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle, CBC, CBC News Network, Steve James, The Interrupters, The Passionate Eye

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